Post up your Thorsen tools!

[d42jeep]

I found a slightly rusty deep socket at a recent estate sale but it looks much better now.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Looks like you saved that one!

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a wrench that was missing from my collection. I spotted this one on eBay and when it arrived it looked to be unused.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a partial 1/4” drive set that arrived in the mail this afternoon. Hopefully, I’ll have the two missing pieces in my extras.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ nice set. doesn't appear to have seen a lot of use.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks. Several sockets appear unused but the box exterior is going to need some work. It’s quite a rudimentary set if you check the contents list.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ about the same as other sets of the same era. I just grabbed an older "Husky" brand set that was no more than the sockets and breaker, and there are others that are the same: no ratchet, no extensions, no spinner handle - just the bare-bones basics.

 

[d42jeep]

Finished but needs paint!
-Don

 

[MR.X]

some 30's era Thorsen 3/8 and 1/2" drive deep sockets I just picked up.

 

[OilyRascal]

some 30's era Thorsen 3/8 and 1/2" drive deep sockets I just picked up.

Very, very nice find! You say "....I just picked up...." so casually.

 

[BFBOB]

Finished but needs paint!
-Don

Nice find! I repainted an S-K box of about that vintage with Rustoleum Hammered 7211 Deep Green and it was a good match. Home Dopot had it on the shelf.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks, I’ll give that a try.
I found a partial set today at a local estate sale in a box that is quite close to the one I received as a Christmas gift when I was 15 yrs old. I’ll go through the Thorsen spares to fill it out tomorrow. I may revisit the estate sale tomorrow because I was very casual about going through the sockets and there may be more items for this set to be found.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I spent some time cleaning and adding to the red box set. There’s still some fine tuning ahead but I’m satisfied with the results so far.
-Don
Here is an ad from 1965 for a set that is close.

And a 1963 ad for a smaller 1/4”/3/8” drive set. Thanks to Oily Rascal for the ads.

 

[d42jeep]

Other than the box layout, I don’t think I can come much closer to my original. I even added a spark plug socket with the original sticker. Most all of the markings on the tools are much more consistent now. I have one missing socket on order. This has been a fun and rewarding project. I texted pictures of the project to my sister in law who is shown sitting next to me in the pictures.
-Don

 

[Username already in use]

Red box special! Looks good, Don!

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks, Username. I appreciate all the contributions you’ve made to my Thorsen collection over the years.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I found this socket at an estate sale today and I think it might be an early TT example. The problem is that the area where the lower T should be located has some damage. What say the early Thorsen experts?
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Looks like thorsen to me

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Other than the box layout, I don’t think I can come much closer to my original...[ ]... I texted pictures of the project to my sister in law who is shown sitting next to me in the pictures.

Where's the plaid shirt? Kidding. Very cool project.

 

[OilyRascal]

Both the logo and the p/n indicate Thorsen. The logo alone suggest early. I assume it is 1/2" square drive based on the p/n. Is that correct? This is the first I have seen of "No" preceding the part number. I am also accustomed to seeing the size read "7-8" on the early examples (versus your "7 x 8" example). It is a good one to study for sure.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks, guys. Oily, it is 1/2” drive and a bit unusual. I don’t have a very large sample size to compare it to. My TT sockets are 3/8” drive.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I found this nice kind of S-K looking Thorsen 3/8” drive ratchet at a garage sale yesterday. I don’t see many in this style.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ compare it with a New Britain. I believe you'll find they're identical.

 

[four.cycle]

I posted one here recently (post #1129). I think that one of mine is later production. (Not polished like yours or the Giller unit below.)

My take on those:

Thorsen (and Giller) were outsourcing ratchets from .... Stanley (who bought NB) and/or National Hand Tool in Dallas, which was acquired by Stanley in 1986, and would have owned National Tool (and the tooling to make that ratchet) during Thorsen's last days.
I have a Giller model here somewhere.... stamped with a CS part number:

Giller CS 43 ratchet

Purely wild speculation on my part, but I think Stanley, out of their Dallas facility, National Hand Tool, was supplying Thorsen and Giller (among others.)

 

[d42jeep]

More than a slight resemblance. The AC Spark Plug torque wrench (Jo) also uses the same internals. It’s interesting that the Thorsen and the torque wrench have handy snap rings to ease disassembly but the NB ratchet doesn’t.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I received a Texas sized care package from Tin Medic and there was plenty of Thorsen included. I cleaned it up and did some sorting this afternoon. A ratchet and breaker went into my red box set. Next I’ll have to go through all of the Thorsen and add these in and pull out some less attractive examples. Thanks, Tin!
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Yesterday was a full day of going through and updating the Thorsen collection. First thing I noticed a 1/2” drive version of the NB/Thorsen ratchet to go with my new 3/8” drive model.
I started going through and updating the Thorsen toolbox top tray.
Next, I went through and picked out the best wrenches of each type.
Combos
DBE wrenches
DOE wrenches
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

The second box housing the Thorsen tools is a Kennedy. I went through it next. Here is the top tray plus other sockets for that box.
Next onto the wrenches. Fractional Vee combos
Fractional Vee DOE wrenches
Metric Vee combos and DOE wrenches
Regular metric combos and a single DOE. Had to fill in the 17mm with an Action cousin
It was almost dark by the time I got them all put away.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ sure you're not missing any there?

 

[d42jeep]

I couldn’t find my 5/16” smooth combo!
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

So... along with the spreadsheet showing the various manufacturers who have stamped their tools with the ubiquitous asterisk, who's going to take on the task of making the list of the various color combinations used by Thorsen/Action on the 80M spinner handles?



Thorsen HDP-7 7-inch diagonal cutters

I got these two pairs of NOS cutters several years ago. I was searching for some drift punches yesterday and came across these - and a couple other items mentioned in other threads - so I dug these out, gave one pair to my buddy (who really needs some decent pliers) and tossed the other pair into the garage. Couldn't go wrong when they were selling at "Globemaster table" prices. Hopefully they'll actually cut wire and not just cheese.

 

[d42jeep]

A couple of early Thorsen tools arrived in the mail today.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

four.cycle shared an eBay listing with me that had a Thorsen marked 1/4” drive spinner with a 1/4” drive female receptacle in the handle allowing it to be used as an extension if so desired. I checked my various styles of Thorsen spinners and didn’t see any that matched so I went ahead and bought it. Like many Thorsen tools, there is no country of origin marked so I’m not positive where it was made. The handle is a bit larger in diameter than most Thorsen spinners. Is one of these in the collection of any of our other Thorsen collectors?
-Don

 

[OilyRascal]

four.cycle shared an eBay listing with me that had a Thorsen marked 1/4” drive spinner with a 1/4” drive female receptacle in the handle allowing it to be used as an extension if so desired. I checked my various styles of Thorsen spinners and didn’t see any that matched so I went ahead and bought it. Like many Thorsen tools, there is no country of origin marked so I’m not positive where it was made. The handle is a bit larger in diameter than most Thorsen spinners. Is one of these in the collection of any of our other Thorsen collectors?
-Do

Hi Don - I have seen several of these in the older military green sets out of Oakland. My sense, based on how frequently I have seen them and how they have been seen packaged, is that they were an early spinner for Thorsen (before the variety of colors started). I have said I would dig out some catalogs and see if it is represented in any of them - but haven't done so yet.

 

[four.cycle]

@OilyRascal -

First time I've seen a Thorsen with the bolster in the **** end of the handle, so it was new to me. Looking at various samples I found online, I also noted they used quite a variety of colors on the handles on that 80M spinner - well over half a dozen.

Don is that thing stamped with a number? Or just "THORSEN" ??

(did it come with those sockets? or did you just put those in there for the photo?)

 

[d42jeep]

@OilyRascal -

First time I've seen a Thorsen with the bolster in the **** end of the handle, so it was new to me. Looking at various samples I found online, I also noted they used quite a variety of colors on the handles on that 80M spinner - well over half a dozen.

Don is that thing stamped with a number? Or just "THORSEN" ??

(did it come with those sockets? or did you just put those in there for the photo?)

It came with the sockets. The only marking on the spinner is the factory THORSEN and some minor previous owners marks. I’m hopeful that Oily will come up with some more information.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

it does seem to be an oddball.

 

[d42jeep]

Thorsen finds from yesterday’s estate sale. The 5/8“ combination wrench has unusually good chrome finish for a Thorsen wrench.
-Don

 

[RTM]

The latest addition to the Thorsen stable. A box, 14.5 x 3.75 x 1.25, originally for a 1420 set, per the label on the end. Nice shape relative to most of the boxes I find, only a bit of blistering of paint, and the usual rust. From a hoarder's estate sale.

I have all but one of the 6 pt sockets (oops no, mine are deeps), only 1 of the 8 pt sockets, and none of the drive tools. Time to start looking again. Maybe I will go back tomorrow. But he probably bought the box empty, so might be a waste of time. But what a way to waste time.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is that set from the ‘56 flyer.
-Dom